Envelope moistener



Oct. 23, 1951 w. L. PAUL 2,572,513

ENVELOPE MOISTENER Filed May 5, 1949 i'IIIIIII/IIIII. 0.4

III I k\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ I! k INVENTOR.

- WANDA 1.. PAUL BY WW ATTORNEY FIG. 3.

Patented Oct. 23, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ENVELOPE MOISTENER Wanda L. Paul, New York, N. Y.

Application May 5, 1949, Serial No. 91,614

' 4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to moisteners and to means for moistening the gummed flaps of envelopes and more particularly to apparatus and devices for effecting the moistening without danger of smearing adhesive to the outer face of the flaps after the envelopes are sealed.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved device or apparatus of this kind which is positive and uniform in its wetting action and which may readily be cleaned.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an improved device of this kind which may be temporarily securely attached to a smooth surface such as to a glass desk top or may be more or less permanently secured to table or the like.

Additional objects of the invention are to effect simplicity and efiiciency in such methods and apparatus and to provide an extremely simple device or apparatus of this kind which is economical, durable, and reliable in operation, and economical to manufacture and install.

Still other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds; and while herein details of the invention are described in the specification and some of the claims, the invention as described in the broader claims is not limited to these, and many and various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed in the broader claims.

The inventive features for the accomplishment of these and other objects are shown herein in connection with an envelope moistener which briefly stated includes an envelope moistener having a tank and cover therefor the latter being provided with an opening up through which projects an axially horizontal roller mounted to dip into a liquid within the tank. A presser is hinged onto the upper face of the cover and provides normally horizontal fingers parallel with the roller slightly below the top of the roller but spaced from the cover.

In the accompanying drawing showing, by way of example, two of many possible embodiments of the invention,

Figs. 1 and 2 are perspectives of the moistener showing the presser in raised and operative positions respectively;

Fig. 3 is a plan of the moistener;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the moistener, the section being taken along the line 44 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows of said line,

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the moistener, section being taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows of said line;

Fig. 6 is a perspective of one form of the wetting roller; and

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of another form of the roller.

The envelope moistener comprises a rectangular tank I!) providing-a space 9 adapted to contain a liquid such as water (not shown), the bottom corner portions of the tank being provided with downwardly open socket members II in which rubber suction cups l2 for feet are mounted in the socket members, the shanks [4 of the cups being received fast in the recesses l5 of the socket members.

On the tank is disposed a cover It having a depending perimetric flange l8 engaging the upper outer walls of the tank, the cover being provided with a rectangular opening IS in the general central portion of the cover, the sides of the opening being parallel with the walls of the tank.

A pair of ears 20 depend from opposite margi nal portions of the opening and are provided with bearing holes 2| axially transverse of the tank rotatably mounting an axially horizontal cylindrical wetting roller 22 having trunnions 23 in said holes. The roller projects upwardly through said opening by about one fourth its radius and so as almost to close the opening while the lower portion may dip into said liquid.

A presser generally designated 24 hinged on said cover comprises an elongated butt-plate 25 secured as by rivets 26 on the upper face of the cover along the margin of a side transverse of the axis of the roller. Attached to the buttplate 25 is a U-member 28 having a yoke portion 29 vertically offset as at 30 hinged to said plate as at 21.

Fingers 3| normally project in a horizontal plane, from the yoke parallel to the roller axis and are spaced from the roller slightly below the topmost portion of the roller to press the gummed margin of an.enve1ope flap 32 against the roller. The fingers are normally held in such position by a spring 33 engaging the butt-plate 25 and are preferably convex on the under face as at 34 of the U-member 28. It is to be noted that the fingers 31 are always positioned well away from the cover l6 and the roller 22 so that wet adhesive which is frequently transferred to the upper face of the cover by the envelope flap margin being wetted does not get smeared onto the fingers. If the fingers should become fouled with sticky adhesive the outer face of the flap would become smeared with adhesive and frequently cause sealed envelopes in a stack to stick together. Thus it is seen that applicant, by insuring that the fingers do not come in contact with the cover, prevents the sticking together of stacked envelopes which have been sealed. The pintle marginal portion 40 of the U-member normally rests on the cover [6.

In operation, with the fingers in lower position, the gummed flap is passed under one of the fingers, then against the roller and under the other finger so as to wet the fiap from end to end, after which the envelope is sealed in the usual manner.

The roller 22 may be provided with very fine flutes or corrugations 35 or with dimples 36 which aid in the retention of water on the roller and a more uniform wetting of the adhesive.

While the feet l2 are generally quite satisfactory for holding the moistener on a smooth surface I prefer to provide the bottom of the tank with exterior lugs 33 in which holes 39 are provided for securing, as by means-of screws, the device to a surface such as a table top. Under such circumstances the feet i2 may be omitted 'or 'retained. f l The tank and cover as well as the presser may be made of any suitable material such as stamped sheet metal or plastic.

The roller may be cleaned by lifting or turning the presser upwardly as in Fig. 2 so there will be no danger of the adhesive, which collects on the roller, to be smeared onto the fingers 3!.

The container or tank It may be made of plastic which is very light, and the suction cups or screws in the holes of the lugs serve to keep it in place. The container may be made of ceramic material such as clay or porcelain, in which case it is much heavier and the suction cups or screws to hold it in place are not necessary.

The invention claimed is:

1. An envelope moistener comprising a rectangular tank, the bottom corner portions thereof being provided with downwardly open socket members; rubber suction cups for feet mounted in the socket members, the shanks of the cups being received fast in the recesses of the socket members; a cover for the tank having a depending perimetric flange engaging the upper outer walls of the tank, the cover being provided with a rectangular opening in the general central portion of the cover, the sides of the opening being parallel with the walls of the tank; a pair of ears depending from opposite marginal portions of the opening and provided with bearing holes axially transverse of the tank; an axially horizontal cylindrical wetting roller having trunnions in said holes and projecting upwardly through said opening by about one fourth its radius and almost closing the opening; a presser hinged on said cover comprising an elongated butt-plate secured on the upper face of the cover along the margin of a side transverse of the axis of the roller; a U-member having a vertically off-set yoke portion hinged to said plate, the pintle portion of the yoke being normally disposed on the cover, said U-member including fingers normally projecting horizontally from the upper part of the yoke parallel to the roller axis and spaced from the roller and slightly below the topmost portion of the roller adapted to press the gummed "i margin of an envelope against the roller, the lower faces of the fingers being convex; and a spring to hold the presser in such normal position but permitting the fingers and part of the yoke to be raised for cleaning the roller without danger of touching said fingers.

2. An envelope moistener comprising a rectangular tank; a cover for the tank having a depending perimetric flange engaging the upper outer walls of the tank, the cover being provided with a rectangular opening in the general cen-- tral portion of the cover, the sides of the opening being parallel with the walls of the tank; a pair of ears depending from opposite marginal portions of the opening and provided with bearin '15 a pair of out-stretched fingers normally projeciw;

1 of the roller and a U-member having a vertically off-set yoke portion hinged to said plate, the pintle portion of the yoke being normally disposed on the cover, the U-member of said presser including fingers normally projecting horizontally from the upper part of the yoke parallel to the roller axis and spaced from the roller and slightly below the topmost portion of the roller and adapted to press the gummed margin of an envelope against the roller, the lower faces of the fingers being convex; and a spring to hold the presser in such normal position but permitting the fingers and part of the yoke to be raised for cleaning the roller without danger of touching said fingers.

3. An envelope moistener comprising a rectangular tank, a cover for the tank, having a depending perimetric flange engaging the upper outer walls of the tank, the cover being provided with a rectangular opening in the general sen tral portion of the cover, the sides of the open ing being parallel with the walls of the tank; a pair of ears depending from opposite marginal portions of the opening and provided with bearing holes axially transverse of the tank; an axial- 1y horizontal cylindrical wetting roller having trunnions in said holes and projecting upwardly through said opening by about one fourth its radius and almost closing the opening; an elongated butt plate secured on the upper face of the cover along the margin of a side transverse of the axis of the roller; a U-member having a vertically offset yoke portion including a lower elongated pintle portion normally disposed fiat on the cover; means for hinging the pintle portion to the butt plate, the U-member having fingers normally projecting horizontally from the upper part of the yoke parallel to the roller axis and spaced from the roller and slightly below the topmost portion of the roller and adapted to press the gummed margin of an envelope against the roller, the lower faces of the fingers being convex; said pintle portion normall resting on the cover to hold the fingers remote from the cover to prevent glue which may accumulate on the cover from becoming adhered to lower faces of the fingers.

4. An envelope moistener comprising a reotangular tank; a cover for the tank having a depending perimetric flange engaging the upper outer walls of the tank, the cover being provided with a rectangular opening in the general central portion of the cover, the sides of the opening being parallel with the walls of the tank; a pair of ears depending from opposite marginal portions of the opening and provided with bearing holes axially transverse of the tank; an axially horizontal cylindrical wetting roller having trunnions in said holes and projecting upwardly through said opening and almost closing the opening; a presser on said cover comprising an, elongated butt plate secured on the upper faceof the cover along the margin of a side trans verse of the axis of the roller and a U-member having a vertically offset yoke portion hinged to said plate, the U-member of said presser forming 6 ing horizontally from the upper part of the yoke REFERENCES CITED parallel to the roller axis and spaced from the roller and on each side the axis thereof and slighti $3 i g i ii are of record m the 1y below the topmost portion of the roller and adapted to press the gummed margin of an 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS envelope against the roller, the lower faces of Number Name Date the fingers being convex; said U-member having 771,888 Ward Oct. 11, 1904 a pintle portion normally resting on said cover 781,136 Duncan Jan. 31, 1905 to hold said fingers from contact with said cover, 973,631 Cushman Oct. 25, 1910 and a spring at the pintle portion of the U-mem- 10 978,703 Curtiss Dec. 13, 1910 her for holding same with fingers. 1,008,973 Linaweaver Nov. 14, 1911 1,309,501 Williams July 8, 1919 WANDA PAUL- 1,858,207 Hillmer May 10, 1932 2,142,348 Dornseifer Jan. 3, 1939 

